McFarlane., R. W. Wake Island 3 
19^3 
There are a fair number of adult and immature brown boobies roosting 
on the reef rocks. I have found no signs of nesting as yet. 
Sea turtles are occasionally seen by skin divers in the lagoon, 
never on the beach. There is practically no beach area suitable for 
nesting. 
Returned to NW end of Wilkes I. after 1800 to -watch the evening flight 
of birds. A count of brown boobies and common noddies roosting,, on the reef 
rocks was made. 31 boobies, 60 noddies. There are probably abott 50 
boobies all told at various points around the edge of this end of the 
island. The noddy cuiint is probably low. The largest Rest rock had 35 
noddies on it this morning and seems equally crowded now. There is little 
light ( 1930 ) and I am able to count only the birds which are silhouetted 
against the sky. The actual number is probably close to 100. Both birds 
frequently roost on same rock. 
A census of the red-footed booby and frigatebird colony was made 
at 2045, after dark. There were 75 boobies, a far larger number than seen to 
date, this bird seldom seen so far during daylight hours. There are a large 
number of immature birds and a few downy and fledgling chicks. There were 
only 35 frigatebirds counted after dark. There were almost 100 flying above 
the area before dark and as yet 1 cannot account for this discrepancy. It is 
possible that some of these birds are roosting on the antenna poles at PMR. 
Sunset 1934. 
Photographed NW end of Wilkes I. and noddy nests on rocks. 
The sooty terns increased their numbers by at least tenfold. They 
had not begun to settle by 2100 when I left the area. It is virtually 
impossible to estimate their numbers. However, I estimated the area of that 
